Lower Boiler Temperature To Save Energy

BeLlsiBuB

Hi,

Can you tell me what my rights are as a tenant for turning down the temperature on the gas boiler please? I am trying to find ways to save money during the energy crisis and a friend recommended turning down the temperature so you don't have to mix so much cold water with it when you're having a shower/bath. I just want to know if I have a right to turn the temperature down temporarily during the warmer months. It would save both on boiling the water and save on adding cold water.

Thanks, Mar

QrizB

If you're renting a house then yes, the boiler controls are there for your use.

BeLlsiBuB

Ok, I just read learned that having the temp too low can cause condensation problems but to avoid this the temp should be about 55 in spring/summer and 65 in autumn/winter. Can any plummers here confirm this?

Ectophile

Condensing boilers are supposed to have condensation.  That's the point of them.

BUFF

it would probably help others to help you if you can name the make/model of boiler & also what controls (programmer/thermostat/TRVs) you have.

canaldumidi

Are you talking about hot water temp, or central heating?

In terms of rights, you can do as you wish, but you have a duty to act in a 'tenant-like manner', which includes not causing damage eg by causing damp. But this is only likely to happen if the heating is switch right off.

First - what kind of boiler is it? Combination boiler providing 'instant' how water, or a traditional boiler that fills a cyinder (in the airing cupboard?) to store hot water?

If the latter, there is likely to be a thermostat on the cylinder. Turning it down a fraction will mean the stored hot water is slightly less hot.

If the former, turning down the boiler temp will have 2 effects

* hot water when demanded will be less hot, and

* water circulating through the heating system will be less hot meaning the boiler will need to work haredr/longer to get the central heating uptothe set room temperature. So a better solution is to turn down the room and/or radiator  thermostats

[Deleted User]

canaldumidi said:

* hot water when demanded will be less hot, and

* water circulating through the heating system will be less hot meaning the boiler will need to work haredr/longer to get the central heating uptothe set room temperature. So a better solution is to turn down the room and/or radiator  thermostats

Right and wrong. HW will be at a lower temperature but turning down the cylinder stat to 55C poses no great health risk.

A lower boiler flow temperature of, say, 60C will save money. Modern boilers are at their most efficient when the return flow temperature is BELOW 56C. Sadly, too few home CH systems are balanced to ensure a 20C flow to return temperature differential. It follows that most modern boilers are not condensing. A plume of steam is not condensation. A flow temperature of 60C almost guarantees condensation heat recovery, and the lower a flow temperature is, the more efficient a boiler will be.

Yes, rooms will heated up more slowly but the boiler will also cycle less frequently. Thermostats have a role to play but do does turning down a boiler temperature setting.

PS: turning down the boiler temperature is also a good way to determine how well a heat pump would cope with your present radiator system.

JohnSwift10

Turning the hot water temperature down will save money but turning the radiator water temperature down is debatable.

It normally takes an hour before my house reaches its set temperature.

I turned the radiator water temperature down from 60 deg C to 50 deg C and it took an extra 1 and a half hours for my house to reach its set temperature.

So what uses the less gas, 1 hour at 60 deg C or 2 and a half hours at 50 deg C?

According to my smart meter readings it used the same amount of gas.

Same if I go out at night at 18:00 and turn my heating off for 3 hours and then turn it on again at 21:00 till 23:30..

It still still used the same amount of gas between 18:00 and 23:30 as the previous night when I never turned it off using more gas between 21:00 and 23:30.

MWT

JohnSwift10 said:

Turning the hot water temperature down will save money but turning the radiator water temperature down is debatable.

It normally takes an hour before my house reaches its set temperature.

I turned the radiator water temperature down from 60 deg C to 50 deg C and it took an extra 1 and a half hours for my house to reach its set temperature.

If it was at 60 then yes, there isn't much to gain from turning down to 50, and 50 was probably a bit on the low side anyway.

The advice is good though for people with their heating running at 80 degrees for example as is so often the case if it has been left as the installer set it...

Most modern boilers have a small mark on the temperature dial, sometimes an 'e' to indicate the optimum setting.

Astria

JohnSwift10 said:

Turning the hot water temperature down will save money but turning the radiator water temperature down is debatable.

It normally takes an hour before my house reaches its set temperature.

I turned the radiator water temperature down from 60 deg C to 50 deg C and it took an extra 1 and a half hours for my house to reach its set temperature.

You may find that the boiler kept turning off as the water was higher than the set temp, then turning back on again when the temperature dropped, this would cause the house to take significantly longer to heat up. Mine seems quite happy at 60c, staying on until the thermostat turns it off, any lower and it'll short cycle. The lower temperature could actually cause higher energy bills as things like the pump and fan will be running for longer.

Ally_E.

Depends on what type of boiler you have. If it's system and you turn the temperature down below 60C, you risk legionella growing in your water tank and causing serious health problems.